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Mandarin Pinyin Tones and Basics

Four tones + neutral tone, tone marks, and essential beginner phrases with pinyin.

12 cards· by GuruOwl

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  1. 01
    What are the four Mandarin tones (names/contours)?
    1st high-level (mā); 2nd rising (má); 3rd dipping (mǎ); 4th falling (mà); plus neutral (ma).
    zhtones
  2. 02
    Classic tone example with ma?
    妈 mā (mom), 麻 má (hemp), 马 mǎ (horse), 骂 mà (scold), 吗 ma (question particle).
    zhtones
  3. 03
    Where is the tone mark placed in pinyin?
    On the main vowel (a/e/o priority; ou → ǒu on o; multi-vowel rules: a>e>o, else first vowel except iu→iū on u).
    zhpinyin
  4. 04
    Hello in Mandarin (characters + pinyin)?
    你好 nǐ hǎo
    zhphrases
  5. 05
    Thank you / You’re welcome?
    谢谢 xièxie / 不客气 bú kèqi
    zhphrases
  6. 06
    Yes/no question particle?
    吗 ma — 你好吗？ Nǐ hǎo ma?
    zhgrammar
  7. 07
    “I am a student.”
    我是学生。 Wǒ shì xuéshēng.
    zhphrases
  8. 08
    “What is your name?” (common polite)
    你叫什么名字？ Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?
    zhphrases
  9. 09
    Numbers 1–10 in Mandarin?
    一 yī 二 èr 三 sān 四 sì 五 wǔ 六 liù 七 qī 八 bā 九 jiǔ 十 shí
    zhnumbers
  10. 10
    “How much is it?”
    多少钱？ Duōshǎo qián?
    zhtravel
  11. 11
    “I don’t understand.”
    我听不懂。 Wǒ tīng bù dǒng. / 我不明白。 Wǒ bù míngbai.
    zhhelp
  12. 12
    Third-tone sandhi (basic rule before another 3rd)?
    3rd + 3rd → first becomes 2nd: nǐ hǎo pronounced more like ní hǎo.
    zhtones